E. Oliver Whitney is a senior editor at ScreenCrush. When not talking Game of Thrones theories or waiting for the next Terrence Malick film, Oliver is probably having an SVU marathon. Oliver was formerly an entertainment editor at Huff Post and has written for Variety, New York magazine, Indiewire, Moviefone, and Backstage.
E. Oliver Whitney
Seth Meyers Spoofs Awards Season As a Sad White Guy in ‘Oscar Bait’
You know the movies. They’re the weepy dramas, often based on a true story, about an ailed male protagonist. Maybe they comment on race relations in one or two scenes, maybe a main character is afflicted with a fatal disease, or maybe a man is wrecked with guilt for an accident he caused. They’re Oscar bait; the movies made to jerk tears and woo the Academy.
‘A Cure for Wellness’ Review: A Bonkers Nightmare From the Director of ‘The Ring’
There are few films that scare me as much as The Ring remake scared me the first time I saw it, and the second, and the third. Director Gore Verbinski has knack for crafting menacing atmospheres with stylish visuals, and after The Ring I was afraid to look at TV screens and was disturbed by the mere appearance of Brian Cox in a movie (and once when I saw him in real life). Verbinski brings a similar palette of ominous visuals and eerie tones to A Cure for Wellness, his latest about a spa for the uber-wealthy. The psychological horror thriller isn’t as sharp or as terrifying as The Ring, but its one of the nuttiest and most original horror movies a major studio has produced in years.
‘Star Wars’ Names Jimmy Vee as the New R2-D2
It’s been a big week for Star Wars droid news. Yesterday we learned the Star Wars universe might get its first female droid in the Han Solo spinoff, a character who might be voiced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge of Fleabag. And today the new R2-D2 has been announced.
Ranking Every Episode of ‘Law and Order: SVU’ (Part 1)
18 years, 18 seasons, roughly 16,800 minutes, and more cameos, crimes, and criminals than you could imagine. This week Law and Order: Special Victims Unit airs its 400th episode, and as a dedicated SVU fan I’ve decided to celebrate by ranking every single episode ever. Crazy? Yes. Possibly damaging to my mental and emotional health? Likely. Worth it? God, I hope so.
John Hurt, Oscar-Nominated Actor of ‘Alien’ and ‘The Elephant Man,’ Dies at Age 77
John Hurt, the British actor best known for Alien and The Elephant Man, has reportedly died at the age of 77, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
2017 Oscar Nominations: ‘La La Land’ Leads with a Record-Tying 14 Nominations
Ah, can you smell it? The aroma of scorching hot awards season debates is already in the air! The nominees for the 2017 Oscars were announced bright and early this morning – or should we say dark and early, as the ScreenCrush team beat the sunrise for the big announcement.
‘Deadpool’ Gets a Producers Guild Nomination, and Now We’re Worried About the Oscars
La La Land, duh. Manchester By the Sea, right. Moonlight, you better. Deadpool – excuse me? It’s true, Ryan Reynolds’ superhero movie has just been named one of the 10 best films of 2016 by the Producers Guild of America (via Variety). Many of us thought its Golden Globes nominations were just a result of the HFPA’s always wacky taste, but it seems the Deadpool virus has spread across the nation to multiple voting bodies, from the Writer’s Guild of America to the Producers.
Emma Waton’s Belle Just Wants Someone to Understand in New ‘Beauty and the Beast’ TV Spot
We never got to hear Emma Watson’s singing had she not turned down La La Land, but thanks what we’ve got the new Beauty and the Beast for. The latest TV spot for Disney’s live-action remake, which debuted during the Golden Globes, features Watson singing “Belle” from the classic animated movie.
‘Passengers’ Review: The Grossest Movie Premise of 2016?
Imagine, you’ve given up your life on Earth, paid a ton of money to take a 120-year-long nap, and when you wake up you won’t have aged a day and will be starting over on a brand new planet. Now imagine something goes wrong and you accidentally wake up early. You’re stuck on a ship that can’t return to Earth and won’t reach its destination before you die. What do you do?
2017 Golden Globes Nominations Announced, ‘La La Land’ and ‘The People v. O.J.’ Lead
Following Sunday night’s Critics’ Choice Awards, the Golden Globes nominations have arrived. On Monday morning, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced their nominees for the 2017 awards, recognizing the best in film and television.
‘Fast 8’ Gets an Official Title, ‘The Fate of the Furious,’ and Teaser Trailer
Years ago, when The Fast and Furious franchise first began, there’s no way we could’ve fathomed the myriad ways Universal would rework the words “fast” and “furious” into sequel titles. “No,” they said, “We will not simply call these movies The Fast and the Furious 1 - 8. We are creatives!” That creativity peaked with 2 Fast 2 Furious, (prayer emoji hands for whoever originally came up with that one), then along the way they sort of lost their mojo. But now, finally, with the eight installment we’re back on track with a brand new f-word added to the title. So long “fast,” this movie is all about fate!
New ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ Trailer Is Full of Shower Sex and Elevator Fondling
I really wish the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise would leave Beyonce’s discography alone. Don’t get me wrong, I love “Crazy in Love,” but did those lyrics really match the events of Fifty Shades of Grey? Do they express the total craziness that’s supposedly at the heart of the sequel Fifty Shades Darker? No, not at all! Case in point: this new trailer.